Apparatus for making water-gas



w 2 5 @571 a 48. GAS. HEATING & ILLUMINATING' i) ill iSMAR Generators, Cupo!a, Water, Carbureter, Fixer. x

(No Model.) 2Sheets-Shaet 1.

P. 3. DE MILL, Jr. (If APPARATUS FOR MAKING WATER GAS. No. 329,290. v Patented Oct. 27, 1885f N. Farms HwtwLRMgnphlr. wuhimon. KM;

48. GAS, HEATING &. ILLUMINATING,

Generators,

' Cupola, Water,

% Carbureter, Fixer.

(No Model.) 2Sheets-8heet 2.

P. E DE MILL, Jr. APPARATUS FOR MAKING WATER GAS. No; 329,290. Patented Oct. 27, 1885.

Iwvenior I IZLUeMzZZ Jr gmmwyq/ UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

PETER E. DE MILL, JR., OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN.

APPARATUS FOR MAKING WATER GAS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 329,290, dated October 27, 1885. Application tiled May 4, 18 85. Serial No. 164,349. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, PETER E. DE MILL, J r., of Detroit, in the county of Wayne and State of Michigan, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Apparatus for Making WVator-Gas, of which the following is a specification.

My invention consists in an improved apparatus for manufacturing Water-gas, so called, and is hereinafter fully pointed out in the claims.

Figure 1 is a vertical section through the generator and superheat-ing chambers, and Fig. 2 a perspective view thereof.

a represents the foundations on which the parts stand.

Z represents the generator, and Y represents the superheatingchamber.

The generator Z consists of an outer casing of boiler-iron and an inner lining of fire-brick, and is cylindrical inshape, the lower part being of greater diameter than the upper part, as clearly shown in the drawings.

D represents a grate-bar extending across the lower portion of the generator.

E represents a firing-door at the upper end of the lower part of the generator, and I pre for to have two of these doors on opposite sides of the generator. 4

d represents a door at the bottom of the generator, and 6 represents a smaller door or port opening into the generator just above the shown in the drawings, and A A represent masses of wrought-iron scrap piled on said arches.

W W represent doors opening just above said arches g, to afford access to the iron-scrap.

0 represents a short pipe at the upper end of both the generator and superheating-chamber, each provided with a clapper-valve, T S, by which it can be closed.

f represents a lever, by which valve T can be operated, and 1) represents a similar lever for valve S.

Irepresents a pipe, which leads from the bottom of the generator below the grate-bar D to the bottom of the superheater; and V represents a water-cooled valve, by which said pipe can be opened or closed at will.

F represents a pipe, which leads from the top of the lower part of the generator to a vertical pipe, K, by which it is connected with pipe I.

H represents a water-cooled valve in pipe F, and L represents a clappeuvalve at the top of pipe K, by which any sudden increase of pressure in pipe K will be automatically relieved.

U represents a steam-pipe, which leads from the steam-space of a boiler to the top of the generator, so as to discharge steam into the generator above the arches g. It may be provided with a suitable valve to control the passage of steam.

The superheater Y is constructed of a boileriron shell and a fire-brick lining, and may be made cylindrical in shape, or of any desired form.

N represents an iron pan in the bottom of the superheater, above the opening of pipe I.

X represents a pipe leading into the bottom of the superheater, through which a blast of air can be forced, and is provided with a valve, 41:, to close it at will.

0 represents a perforated brick arch above pan N, and the interior of the superheater is filled loosely with bricks P to nearly its top. The bricks I are so set in the superheater that a current of gas can pass among them to the top of the superheater and then pass out, either through the clapper-valve S or through the outlet-pipe R.

M represents a pipe to conduct a liquid hydrocarbon to the pan N, and should be arranged in any known and convenient manner, so that the liquid which passes through said pipe may be heated before being discharged into pan N. There are so many known .ways of doing this that I do not deem it necessary to illustrate any of them. The source of supply of the liquid hydrocarbon should be higher than the point of discharge, or else under I is largely'removed by uniting with the iron,-

0 being opened for this purpose.

pressure. Suitable doors should be placed in the superheatcr to afiord access to the pan N, and also to permit the removal of the bricks I,when necessary.

The operation of myinvention is as follows: All the valves being closed, a fire is built on the grate-bars D, and anthracite coal is put on the fire through the doors E. The clapper- Valve T is opened, and a blast of air is forced into the generator through pipe B, the valve The hot products of combustion pass up through the arches g and out through the pipe 0, thus heating the iron-scrap A. When the generator has become partially heated, the clappervalve T'is partially or wholly closed and the water-cooled valve H opened, and the products of combustion pass through pipes F K I into the superheatcr, up through the bricks P, and out of the pipe 0, the clapper-valve S being also opened. At the same time a blast of air is forced into the superheatcr through the pipe X,valve a: being opened for this purpose, and this serves to ignite the combustible gases which are forced from the generator into the superheater. As soon as the generator and superheatcr have become sufficiently heated the air-blast is shut off from both and the valves '1 S H closed. Valve Vis now opened, and the valvesin the steam-pipeUand liquidhydrocarbon pipe M opened, thus admitting steam to the generator and liquid hydrocarbon to the pan N. The steam on coming in contact with the heated arches g and scrapiron A in the generator is largely decomposed into hydrogen and oxygen gas. The oxygen and the hydrogen with the remnant of oxygen, and the undecomposed steam which passes the arches passes through the incandescent coal, through the grate-bars D, and through pipe I into the superheatcr. As soon as the hydrocarbon strikes the hot pan N it is vaporized, and the vapor mixes with the gases which come from the generator, and the mixture passes up through the hot bricks P, where it becomes a fixed gas, and is led out of the superheater through the pipe It. After leaving the pipe R the gas should pass through a water-seal and into a holder in the usual manner; but these are so well known that I have not illustrated them. When the incoming steam has cooled the generator and superheatcr to a point below that necessary for the successful decomposition of the steam, the steam and hydrocarbon are both shut off by closing the valves in pipes U M, the fire in the generator is cleaned through the doors E, e, and d, fresh coal is put on the fire, and the generator and superheatcr heated as before. By passing the steam downward through the fire, instead of up through the fire, as is done in prior gas-generators of this class, I avoid to a great extent chilling the fire, because the steam strikes the hottest part of the fireviz., the topand leaves it in much better condition to start up when the steam is turned off and the blast turned on; and by placing the scrap-iron directly over the fire in the upper part of the generator I economize space and burn off, Whenever the fire is started up, the oxide of iron, which is formed on the iron by the decomposition of steam, thus keeping the iron at all times in good condition to act until worn out.

I am aware that an attempt has been made to introduce the steam above and pass it down through the fire by using a double U-shaped fire pot, in which the steam passes down through the fire on one side and up through the fire on the other side; but the difference between such a device and my invention is obvious.

I am also aware that it has been proposed to pass steam down through heated iron-scrap and fuel in one generator, and then pass the resulting gases into the bottom of a second generator and up through the fuel in the same, to which fuel may be added oil, and from the top of this second generator into a fixingchamber. I lay no claim to such features.

WVhat I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

I. In combination with a generator having a fire-chamber and a superposed chamber containing a perforated arch and iron-scrap, a steam-pipe leading into the top of said generator, an outlet-pipe leading from said generator below the fire, a superheatcr connected at its bottom with said last-named pipe, 'a receptacle for holding liquid hydrocarbon in the bottom of the superheatcr, above the inlet-pipe thereto, and means for supplying liquid hydrocarbon to said receptacle, substantially as shown and described.

2. In combination with the generator Z, having at its bottom the grate-bars D, and in its upper portion the arches 9, iron A, and pipe 0, with clapper-valve T, the superheatcr Y, having in its bottom the pan N, closed at the top by the pipe 0 and clapper-valve S, and having the bricks P therein, said generator and superheatcr being connected by the pipes F K I, having therein the water-cooled valves H V and the clapper-valve L, substantially as shown and described.

PETER E. DE MILL, JR.

Witnesses:

BETHUNE DUFFIELD, Gno. H. LO'IHROP. 

